Publishers Weekly
12/11/2017
Peyton Rios thinks that receiving a letter from her first-choice college to play Division I soccer is the start of a perfect day. But things go south after she confronts her boyfriend, Reed, about his use of steroids as a shortcut to becoming a professional mixed martial arts fighter. Reed loses his cool and pushes her down a flight of stairs, wrecking her knee and destroying their relationship. Soon after, Peyton’s mother insists that she move away to live with her uncle. The only things on Peyton’s mind are recovering from her injury and getting ready to play soccer in college, but her plans are derailed when she meets Owen, an MMA fighter like Reed who has his own secrets. Garcia’s suspenseful romance will keep readers turning pages, eager to find out if Peyton is vindicated and ends up with the right guy. Amid steamy moments and swoony descriptions of falling in love, Garcia (The Lovely Reckless) tackles a serious issue head-on, drawing from her own experiences with an abusive boyfriend. Ages 15–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
“A tearjerker that will break your heart and put it back together again! I loved it.” —Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of It Ends With Us
"Garcia has become synonymous with a certain breed of drama-filled, compulsively readable romance." —Bustle
“Something wonderful happened to me as I read this—I fell in love. Genuine, shattering, deep, heart-pounding love." —Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe
“A slow burn that squeezes your heart so tightly you can’t breathe . . . until it explodes, and you’re left with a beautiful story that will draw you back again and again." —Abbi Glines, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Field Party series and the Rosemary Beach novels
“Kami Garcia knows the anatomy of the teenage heart—what makes it race, what makes it break, and what makes it mend. Sexy, gritty, and romantic—Broken Beautiful Hearts is a must-read for anyone whose heart has been broken and dared to love again." —Danielle Paige, New York Times bestselling author of the Dorothy Must Die and Stealing Snow series
“A heartbreaking novel of shattered dreams, broken hearts, and finding new paths forward. Broken Beautiful Hearts is deliciously sexy, dangerous, and heartfelt. Kami Garcia has weaved a story that lingers in your heart long after it’s done.” —Dhonielle Clayton, coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things series and author of The Belles
“Kami Garcia never fails to impress with her amazing characters and captivating romance!" —Cora Carmack, New York Times bestselling author of Losing It
"Kami Garcia knocks it out of the park with this compelling, emotionally gripping story...one of my favorite reads of the year!" —Elle Kennedy, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Off Campus series
"With an absorbing storyline that feels both raw and real, and a compelling heroine with a backbone, Kami Garcia's Broken Beautiful Hearts kept me riveted to the very end.” —K.A. Tucker, USA Today-bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths Series and Until It Fades
"Peyton’s journey from trauma to recovery is a satisfying one...and readers will be rooting for her." —VOYA
"Peyton is a strong, well-rounded character...[the] theme of overcoming past injury and rebuilding your life is strong and worth reading." —Booklist
Praise for The Lovely Reckless:
“The Lovely Reckless has everything I hope for in a book. Packed with the perfect blend of suspense, drama, romance, and heart, Kami Garcia has truly topped herself.” —Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Hopeless
"Meet your next book boyfriend Marco Leone. You'll fall in love with him just like I did!" —Abbi Glines, New York Times bestselling author of The Field Party series & The Rosemary Beach novels
“A perfect blend of electrifying romance, pulse-pounding street racing, and page-turning suspense.” —Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Problem With Forever
“Want an adrenaline rush with your swoon? Kami Garcia delivers an action-packed and addicting romance with complex characters, high stakes, and enough angst to keep you turning page after page. Once I started, it was impossible to stop!” —Cora Carmack, New York Times–bestselling author of Losing It
“Kami Garcia turns up the heat with The Lovely Reckless! The Fast and the Furious meets Romeo and Juliet, with a romance guaranteed to get your pulse racing.” —Carrie Ryan, New York Times–bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Sexy, fast-paced, and action-packed—this is Kami Garcia like you’ve never seen her before.” —Tahereh Mafi, New York Times–bestselling author of Shatter Me
“Edge-of-your-seat suspense, love, and heartbreak.” —Jamie McGuire, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Beautiful Disaster
“With a feisty heroine, an irresistible bad boy, and an attraction so sizzling the words practically burn up the page,The Lovely Reckless is an insanely addictive, sexy, rush of a read you’ll return to again and again!” —Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Immortals series
“Rip-roaring and hyper-real, Kami outdoes herself.” —Holly Black, New York Times–bestselling author of The Darkest Part of the Forest
“The Lovely Reckless is a thrilling ride full of twists and turns and a love story that will melt your heart!” —Katie McGarry, award-winning author of Nowhere but Here
“A pitch-perfect story of surviving loss, finding love, and saving oneself—all set in a world of fast cars and smooth criminals. The Lovely Reckless thrills from beginning to end.” —Marie Lu, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Legend and The Young Elites
“The Lovely Reckless is Garcia’s superb, roaring entrance into the world of young adult contemporary fiction—full of first love jitters and heart-stopping action." —Christina Lauren, New York Times–bestselling author of Sublime
“As exciting as a high-stakes drag race with a hero hotter than a red-lined engine, The Lovely Reckless is a thrill ride without compare! You’ll fall in love with sexy bad-boy Marco and root for the daring heroine Frankie as they fight to be together against all odds. The Lovely Reckless is a bold and original love story sure to delight readers everywhere." —Kresley Cole, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Arcana Chronicles
"The Lovely Reckless is a fast-paced, fresh read that you'll want to devour in one sitting. I'm obsessed!" —Anna Todd, Internet Sensation and Bestselling Author of the After Series
"Kami Garcia has moved into bold, new territory, and the results are spectacular. I was hooked from the first chapter!" —Richelle Mead, #1 International Bestselling Author of Vampire Academy series
"Give this to teens who like suspense, sexy romance, and urban fiction.”—VOYA
"The romantic scenes sizzle. A wild and enjoyable ride." —Kirkus Reviews
"This high-stakes, suspenseful romance novel... will keep [teens] turning pages." —School Library Journal
JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Brittany Pressley is a perfect match to voice Peyton’s shock and desperate hope at finding the possibility of love again. She and her boyfriend broke up when she discovered his secret. Their confrontation led to her tumble down a flight of stairs and an injury that put her recent offer to play collegiate soccer at risk. When she seeks refuge at her uncle’s home in a small Tennessee town, romance is the last thing on her mind—until she meets Owen, an MMA fighter with a loving soul. Moments of romantic uncertainty are contrasted with general Peyton’s strength of character. Pressley steels her voice when Peyton puts mean girls in their place. Pressley also gives unique voices to Peyton’s twin cousins and an aggressive edge to Peyton’s menacing ex and his friends. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-04-10
YA veteran Garcia (The Lovely Reckless, 2016, etc.) gets hearts racing with a well-paced novel of romance and the sweet science.Peyton is a biracial (Cuban-American and white) high school senior in Washington, D.C., who was just offered a spot to play soccer for her top-choice university program when an injury turns all her plans on their heads. This was no accident on the pitch, though: Peyton was pushed down a flight of stairs by her abusive mixed martial arts-fighting ex, landing on her knee. In the aftermath, in which her ex denies any wrongdoing and she receives anonymous threats, Peyton escapes by moving in with a beloved uncle and his twin sons in rural Tennessee. Though her hope is to focus on school and healing, fate has other plans as another up-and-coming kickboxing and MMA fighter, Owen, becomes an inescapable presence in her life. Peyton is wary of fighters and even more dubious about her own instincts, struggling with anxiety and post-traumatic stress related to her father's death and her own assault. Though some readers may find the frequent alpha-male posturing thrilling and romantic, it becomes tedious after the third testosterone-fueled fight takes place only halfway through the book. If the reader can stick out the brooding and violence, the conclusion is satisfying. Owen is white and there is diversity among the secondary characters.A tense buildup with a suitably happy ending. (Sports romance. 15-18)
